2008-09 was a season of heartache for Arsenal, they fought most of the season from outside the top four with Aston Villa putting up one of the performances of the season to try and break into the UEFA Champions League places. While The Villains did eventually drop down to sixth leaving Arsenal to secure their usual place in the top four, this fixture was a crucial moment in the season which demonstrated Arsenal's lack of killer instinct and Aston Villa's never say die attitude. 

While the majority of the starting eleven do still play in the Premier League, where are they now?

Manuel Almunia: 

As a player who will go down in the memories of Arsenal supporters as a player who made far more mistakes then he made crucial saves, Almunia went on to join Championship side Watford after his contract expired with Arsenal in 2012. The Spanish stopper became a cult hero for the Hornets when he saved a penalty and the resulting effort from Anthony Knockaert, the resulting counter-attack lead to last minute goal to level the game 2-2. Following his Watford contract expiring in the summer of 2014, Amunia was expected to join Serie A side Cagliari Calcio, however a heart condition discovered during his medical meant an early retirement for the 'keeper.

Bacary Sagna:

The French international right-back left The Gunners last summer, following his first and only trophy with the club in their FA Cup campaign. His contract had expired and he decided to join Manchester City, following in the footsteps of so many ex-Gunners in the past. However, his City career never really got going with the form of Pablo Zabaleta keeping him on the bench and restricted to only five Premier League starts so far. Sagna has had to endure watching his former club win the Community Shield from the City bench and most recently watching the Gunners win at the Etihad 2-0. It has also been rumoured that manager Manuel Pellegrini is considering dropping the experienced Frenchman from his UEFA Champions League squad to accommodate new signing Wilfred Bony.

Mikael Silvestre:

An experienced French centre-back who won five Premier League titles with Manchester United, Arsenal fans were hoping that the defender could help shore up their back-line. Silvestre turned out to be a transfer flop for the Gunners as he could not keep up with the pace of the Premier League anymore with a string of mistakes leading to him only appearing for the club 26 times. After his contract expired he joined German outfit Werder Bremen, however, similar mistakes and poor performances lead to him being released the following summer. Following a poor season in the MLS with Portland Timbers, the centre back eventually ended up with Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League. At the end of the season, with only 14 appearances, Silvestre announced he would be exploring his options, whether that be as a coach or to continue player in the far east.

Kolo Touré:

Kolo Touré was one of many Arsenal players to leave the club in 2009 to join the Manchester City revolution. Part of the Invincible squad, Toure was a fan favourite with the fans, however, following a bust up with club captain William Gallas, the Ivorian felt he was being pushed out of the squad. The defender went on to enjoy much success with Manchester City, winning the Premier League and FA Cup while making over 100 appearances. Toure eventually left The Citzens to join Liverpool on a free transfer in the summer of 2013, yet he could not keep up the kind of performances he showed while at Arsenal and has seen his chances in the squad limited with only 28 appearances over his two seasons on Merseyside. He was only ever expected to be a utility player, and that is exactly what he has been.

Emmanuel Eboue:

The cult hero of Arsenal fans, Eboue would go on to make a total of 132 appearances in the Premier League for the club becoming a regular right-back for Arsene Wenger's team. The Ivorian joined Galatasaray in the summer of 2011 after his Arsenal squad number was given to then new signing Gervinho while he was still at the club. Eboue has gone on to win five trophies in Turkey, winning two league titles, one Turkish cup and two Turkish Super cups.

Alex Song:

Described as the player Arsenal are missing by former legendary striker and new pundit Thierry Henry, Alex Song surprisingly left the club in 2012 to join Barcelona, for a reported transfer fee of £15million pounds. However, following a less than satisfactory career at the Nou Camp, the defensive midfielder has since joined West Ham United on loan in which he has become a mainstay in their squad receiving widespread praise from pundits and professionals alike.

Denílson:

Denílson officially spent seven years on the books at Arsenal and was often criticised for his lack of defensive qualities, constantly slowing down attacks, and a lack of a quality passing ability. With the rise of Jack Wilshere and persistent injuries, Denílson's playing time was limited and eventually he departed the club. He returned to Brazil initially on a two-year loan deal to his first club, São Paulo, and in 2013 Arsenal and Denílson had agreed to cancel his contract with the club, São Paulo initially had no interest in signing the player permanently until his contract was cancelled. He has since signed a four-year deal with the Brazilian club and has made only 17 appearances in the league since returning on a permanent basis. His most memorable moment in a São Paulo shirt came when he labeled the fans as 'very, very annoying', this unsurprisingly caused outrage with the São Paulo faithful which lead to them demanding he never play for the club again.

Samir Nasri:

It is well known that Nasri's relationship with the Arsenal faithful has been sour ever since his decision to join Manchester City in 2011. Labeled as 'le mercenaire' by some Arsenal fans, the French midfielder has gone on to win several trophies with City, including two Premier League titles but has never lived up to the performances he displayed while at Arsenal. A shame, but money talks in the modern game, and a player who could have easily still been on the books at The Gunners, is winning trophies but not fulfilling his full potential at Manchester City.

Abou Diaby:

Diaby is the only player on this list that is still at Arsenal, the French midfielder scored in this game and showed great power in midfield that Arsenal have lacked in recent years. Diaby's growing injury list is the only reason he has not gone on to be one of the top players in the Premier League, and this game proved he could have been one of Arsenal's leading midfielders. Unfortunately, his injuries have affected his development massively, as he now faces a bid to try and prove his fitness to Wenger in order to stay amongst the wage bill at the club. 

William Gallas:

William Gallas had a controversial time at Arsenal, whether it was refusing to leave the Birmingham City pitch in 2008, or his dressing room bust up with Kolo Touré, it was never easy for Gallas to have the respect of his team-mates, despite being the captain of the side. The Frenchman went on to join arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur to permanently tarnish his Arsenal career. The defender made 61 appearances for Spurs in the Premier League over a three year period was marred by injury keeping him sidelined for much of the 11-12 season. He was eventually let go by Tottenham and spent his final season in football in Australia with Perth Glory before retiring in October 2014

Robin van Persie:

Robin van Persie's career with Arsenal will always be remember as being spotted, in eight years at Arsenal the Dutchman only made 194 appearances in the league in a career that was plagued by injury. Following his only fully fit season with the club in which he scored 37 goals, van Persie turned down a new contract with the Gunners to join Manchester United. The Dutch striker went on to win the Premier League title in his first season in Manchester becoming the golden boot winner in the process. However, after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement "RVP" has failed to follow up the form he showed in his first season and has even stated himself that he is unsure where his future lies.

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